Friday is the day we celebrate our independence. It is a day we show our pride and patriotism by flying the United States of America flag proudly in front of our homes and businesses. It is a day we should pause to reflect on what it means to be independent. It is a day to remember the sacrifices made by many families to preserve our independence.
One of the many people who sacrificed greatly to give us our independence was President John Adams. I gave up on HBO a long time ago, so I did not see the miniseries about him. Therefore, I bought the book by David McCullough, “John Adams.” Many of us use the words independence and freedom to describe what John Adams called liberty. He is noted for saying, “The preservation of liberty depends upon the intelligence and morals of the people.” I ask, “How are we, in our time, our lives, our politics, our religion, preserving liberty?”
When I hear the word liberty, it reminds me of the Liberty Bell. As a child visiting Independence Hall in Philadelphia, you were allowed to touch the Liberty Bell. Yes, I even put my hand in the crack that Davy Crockett did. Now, of course, it is hermetically sealed to protect it from the likes of me. The Liberty Bell was “struck” for the last time on D-Day, June 6, 1944, and its tone was broadcast around the country.
This begs the question: Are we intelligent enough to preserve liberty? Are we educating our people to the level that will be necessary to preserve our liberty? What about the morals “of the people”?
When I hear the word liberty, I also think of the pledge of allegiance to the flag that ends with “And liberty and justice for all.” While growing up, I said the pledge every day at school. I wonder if it is still recited daily in schools. The only time I say the pledge now is at Lions Club, on the infrequent times I attend. The flag is a great symbol of our liberty.
Friday, display your flag. If you do not have one, purchase one from a retail store, which will increase the tax revenue for Shawnee. Let this July 4 be the first fourth that had as many flags flying as the day after Sept. 11, 2001. Let us show by our waving flags that we are grateful for our liberty and that we still have intelligence and morals.
The inscription on the Liberty Bell is a Bible verse: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” Our founding fathers’ faith in the Almighty was very strong and evident in our declaration of independence.
God bless America.
Editor’s Note: This guest editorial is offered by Chris Rick, a member of The Shawnee News-Star Editorial Advisory Board. He is a State Farm insurance agent in Shawnee. The views expressed by our guest editorialists and guest columnists are theirs, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the News-Star’s management.
